MELANIE ZANONA
THE HILL
Trump’s air traffic overhaul would add $100B to deficit, says new analysis
August 16, 2017

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President Trump’s proposal to privatize air traffic control would add nearly $100 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years, according to a new analysis.

An initial cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that the legislation, which would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for six years and transfer the country’s air navigation system to a nonprofit corporation, would add $20.7 billion to the federal deficit.

But that was before necessary tax provision changes were made to the bill when it was filed with the House Rules Committee, where measures are teed up for floor debate.

Democrats demanded a revised score from the CBO, predicting that the updated version of the measure would add “tens of billions” to the bill’s cost.

The hefty price tag is just the latest hurdle for the spinoff plan.

The bill was approved by committee, but has not yet been brought to a floor vote in the full House. The FAA’s legal authority expires at the end of September.